In re R. A.

This case is an appeal from an order of the District Court, Waterbury Circuit, finding R. A. to be a patient in need of further treatment, 18 V.S.A. § 7101(16), and committing him to the Vermont State Hospital (VSH) for an indeterminate period. 18 V.S.A. § 7621(b).

*290R. A. is a victim of Huntington’s Chorea, a hereditary neurological disease which causes organic brain damage to the frontal lobe, choreic (involuntary muscle) movements, muscle tone weakness and contractual spasms, personality changes, hallucinations, delusions, difficulty in swallowing and walking, depression, and death. R. A.’s…